These teams have dangerous groups of forwards
who can generate offense off the rush, using speed and skill,
or thanks to puck possession, using hard work and nifty
sticks in the corners. Both teams lean on a quarterback
on the wing. Boston College’s Chris Collins plays
on Brian Boyle’s left side and is the catalyst for
the Eagles’ offense. Beyond that first line, BC relies
more on hard work than skill, with the likes of Stephen
Gionta and Joe Rooney battling for everything they can get.
Benn Ferriero, who has been outstanding in the second half
of the season, is a notable exception on the second line.
North Dakota’s leader is right wing Drew Stafford,
but he gets significantly more support than Collins in terms
of speed and skill. Rookie T.J. Oshie, Jonathan Toews and
Ryan Duncan, in particular, have elevated the Fighting Sioux
talent level up front since these teams met in last year’s
East Regional Final.

It’s rare that a team featuring three
freshman defensemen would reach the Frozen Four, but that
can be said of both club’s in Thursday’s first
semifinal. To their credit, the rookies on both sides have
fit in perfectly – BC’s Brett Motherwell and
North Dakota’s Brian Lee have chipped in offensively,
while players like Anthony Aiello, Zach Jones and Joe Finley
have been steady, physical influences. As with any defense,
however, the older players are the leaders. For BC, that
is captain Peter Harrold, who has become one of the best
two-way defensemen in the game as a senior. He leads a group
that is more physical, on the whole, than a typical BC defense.
On the North Dakota side, hulking junior Matt Smaby, at
6-foot-5, 220 pounds, leads a group that on average stands
6-foot-2, 201 pounds and holds a physical advantage over
a small Eagle forward corps.

Jordan Parise, for whatever reason, has never
gotten the credit he deserves in the North Dakota net. But
there’s only one measure of success in the NCAA Tournament
– victories – and his 6-2 career record stands
above the rest of the field. Apart from his big-game performances,
he’s shown an ability to cover a lot of ground positionally
and scramble for a big save when he has to. Cory Schneider,
at the other end, is heralded as one of the best young goaltenders
in the U.S., and has lived up to that billing in his first
two years at BC. After splitting time a year ago he carried
the load as a sophomore and posted the fourth-best save
total in the nation. His school-record eight shutouts include
a pair in the Northeast Regional, an impressive turnaround
after he struggled in the tournament in 2005 – including
a 6-3 loss to North Dakota.

The special teams game should feature strength
against strength, as the Fighting Sioux power play (ranked
seventh in the country) goes head to head with BC’s
penalty kill (ranked 10th). North Dakota has the sharpshooters
up front that make for a dangerous PP (led by Oshie, with
11 PPGs, and sophomore Travis Zajac, 8), but BC counters
with quick, hard working forwards who are quintessential
penalty killers. The Eagles have dominated while killing
penalties in the postseason, allowing only one PPG in the
last four games and scoring twice shorthanded. On the other
side – the one that we’re more likely to see,
given that North Dakota averages 23.0 penalty minutes per
game – neither team excels. The Eagles are a woeful
15.3 percent with the man advantage, while only four NCAA
Tournament teams ranked lower than North Dakota on the penalty
kill (25th at 83.3 percent).

Dave Hakstol, in just his second season, has
quickly become a fixture at the Frozen Four, albeit not
with the history that his counterpart boasts. Neither Hakstol
nor Jerry York is the fiery type – both tend to be
stoic behind the bench, Hakstol with his arms crossed and
York clutching his ever-present notebook. But they will
both have their teams emotionally charged, and more important,
playing their systems to a T.

WHY BOSTON COLLEGE WINS:
While North Dakota came out of the NCAA West Regional with
a pair of seemingly effortless wins, no team was as dominant
last weekend as Boston College, and the Eagles did it against
stiffer competition, and away from home ice. BC has bounced
back from its February slump and is playing its best hockey,
getting contributions from a variety of players up front
and flawless efforts from Schneider in goal.

WHY NORTH DAKOTA WINS: The
Fighting Sioux are primed to claim their second Milwaukee
national title in nine years behind a stable of forwards
whose talent, as a group, is second-to-none in the NCAA.
When they surrender the puck – perhaps that should
say “if” – an imposing defense and the
tournament-tested Parise provide support.